Caleb 93 – Coming Out

I was tired.

I’d been awake from Thursday morning, and it was now Saturday evening. I’d used a shitload of power maintaining illusions and compelling various people, not to mention some very harrowing experiences both in the compound and also back at the FBI building.

Mary drove me home to where my family was waiting for me. At least most of them were; Ness was still at work. She’d wanted to take the day but had been told that her being at home worrying wouldn’t help me in the slightest. I’d certainly be looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.

We now had officially less than a week until we were going up to the ranch. Josh and Louise were going to spend Christmas with his parents and the New Year with hers. There was a good deal of bridge building going to be happening, but they would be staying at the house until nearer the time. It would be Mary, Amanda, Jules, Ness, Melanie, Sarah, Arnie, Danny, and me travelling up next weekend. I was seriously looking forward to it.

I still had absolutely no idea what I was going to get any of my family for Christmas gifts. I was hoping to go shopping and catch some inspiration while we were out. Perhaps I’d get some hints from the girls, but somehow I doubted that they’d make my life that easy though.

Mary pulled her car onto the drive and I got out wearily. The front door opened and I looked up. The entire household had come out to meet us and I got long hugs from everyone. Josh, Louise, and Arnie included. They each asked me their own version of ‘are you okay?’

I was tired, dog tired, and all I wanted to do was to collapse into bed and sleep. I didn’t even want to eat. I’d put away an inordinate amount of food on the journey back to the office and now I just needed rest.

Jules had accompanied me into the shower. I was grateful, not only for her incredibly loving attention but also for the fact that, as stunningly beautiful and sexy as all my girls were, I wasn’t up to taking advantage or even being taken advantage of.

I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.

As usual my bladder woke me up. What was unusual, at least for this time of year, was that it was light. Even more unusual was the fact I was all alone in bed. Alone, that is, apart from one person. . . Ness was curled up beside me, her head on my shoulder, gently stroking my chest.

She looked up at me as I stirred.

“Good morning,” she said.

“What time is it?” I asked, my mind still a little muddled from sleep.

“Nearly nine,” she said. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m about to burst,” I said as I eased out from under her and headed for the bathroom.

I took care of business, and even took a quick shower, before returning to the bedroom feeling refreshed. Ness was still languishing in bed. She looked up at me hungrily as I returned.

“I hope you weren’t planning on going anywhere?” she asked. I smiled at her.

“Well…” I began, “I am a little hungry.”

“I thought you might be,” she said. “I have something you can eat right here.”

She lay back, throwing off the sheet to display her nakedness. She lay spread before me lewdly displaying herself.

“That certainly looks delicious,” I told her, my mind suddenly diverted from the breakfast I’d actually been thinking about.

“Dig in,” she offered with a sultry smile.

Crawling up from the foot of the bed, slid over her body, until we were face to face, my body over hers. I could feel the heat from her radiating against my body.

“A kiss first?” I asked.

She obliged, pulling my head down to bring our lips together, gentle at first but becoming more passionate, needier, as the kiss lengthened. Her hands travelled down, over my shoulders and arms, and then she slid them around my back, pulling me down onto her. Her legs moved to entrap me, and press me, against her heated flesh. She moaned at the feel of our naked bodies pressed together.

When we finally broke the kiss, we were both panting from need as well as lack of air.

I tried to move down her body, but she tightened her grip on me.

“No,” she said. “I need you. Please.”

“I was…” I began.

“Inside me,” she said. “Please?”

I brought my knees up slightly releasing my maleness from where it had been trapped between us. Tilting my hips, I dragged it down over her belly and slipped it between her legs to draw its length across her sex. She moaned.

“Don’t tease me,” she begged.

Almost without effort, I positioned myself at her entrance, my cock knew exactly where it needed to be and lodged itself at her opening. Bringing my lips to hers again I kissed her and then in one single thrust, slid my tongue between her lips to plunder her mouth as I thrust forward, burying myself to the hilt in her sweet depths.

Ness shuddered and whined as I simultaneously penetrated her mouth and pussy. Her legs tightened around my waist, pulling me deeper and holding me tight, unable to move. She battled my tongue with her own, as she ground herself into me, pressing her whole body against me like she wanted us to become a single entity.

She broke the kiss, throwing her head back and gasping a breath.

“Please,” she said again. “Fuck me.” I felt her legs relax a little giving me just enough room to pull back, in preparation for another thrust. She half grunted, half sighed as we collided for the second time, then a third. I felt her legs begin to tense in time with my thrusts, encouraging me to push harder each time.

As we reached our rhythm, she grabbed my head and pulled me into another kiss, desperately locking us together again. She plundered my mouth as I plundered her pussy, each one of my thrusts harder and faster than the last, egged on by both of our desperate needs.

I could feel her stomach tensing up as she climbed toward her release, and chased it with my own, ramming myself into her, to grunts and squeaks of pleasure. My head was starting to spin, my breath being denied as my body, now no longer under my control, jackhammered into the wanton teen beneath me. Sweat slicked us both, and lubricated our bodies as we slid together, and my oxygen starved brain hallucinated that we had become some kind of infernal machine, powered by our lust, plummeting towards cataclysmic destruction.

Once again Ness threw her head back, breaking the kiss and we both gasped a huge lungful of air, only to scream out in mutual release as our climaxes claimed us. My body went into spasms, the reflex to bury my seed as deep as possible into the willing body beneath me, forcing my hips into a spasmodic pattern of thrusts that only seemed to heighten Ness pleasure. We both rode the dual high from the sudden oxygen rush and the orgasm.

When it was over, I lay, sweat slicked, most of my weight pressing down on the sweaty naked body beneath me. I tried to move, so as not to suffocate her, but she held me in place.

“Stay,” she gasped, her chest still heaving. “Just a little longer. I love to feel you on me, in me.”

I shifted my arms a little to take some of the weight off her, but stayed pressed inside. I could feel that it wouldn’t be too long before my deflating member would slip out of her still twitching channel.

I placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

“Thank you,” I murmured. “I love you.”

I felt her mouth twist into a smile under mine.

“I think I need a shower,” she said.

Eventually we moved, and I decided that another shower might be a good idea for me too. I’d worked up quite a sweat. We spent a good few minutes ensuring that we were both clean, me paying particular attention to cleaning certain areas of her body, a process she seemed to enjoy almost as much as I did.

When we finally surfaced, we went into the kitchen and started preparing lunch. It was nearly midday.

“Dad wanted to come and speak to you,” said Arnie, coming into the kitchen. “He met with the lawyers last week, but obviously you were ‘busy.’ He wanted to catch you up on what was happening.”

“Is he coming over, or did he want me to go there?” I asked.

“He’s coming for dinner,” Ness said. “It’s already arranged.”

“Perfect,” I said. “We’ll just have a snack now then, and eat properly later.”

“That was the plan,” said Ness pulling out the makings for sandwiches.

Mary entered the kitchen.

“Dianna called,” she said. “She wanted to know how you were and to congratulate you on the operation. She’s going to be very busy over the next few weeks helping to break the programming of the people you rescued, including Rosie. Martha, apparently, is going to be helping, since she’s had so much experience in deprogramming people rescued from cults.”

“Did she want my help?” I asked.

Mary shook her head. “She said you had enough on your plate,” she replied. “She wants you to get ready for the next stage of recruitment. Obviously, you passed your Meet and Greet, that goes without saying.”

“This is becoming really confusing,” I said slicing some tomatoes. “In one breath they’re telling me that I’m a shoe in. Agent Mbisi said I could be a one legged something with the IQ of a ping pong ball and I’d still get in. I’m getting kind of mixed messages.”

“Then let me explain,” said Amanda, joining her sister.

“You have a job with the FBI. That’s a given,” she began. “BUT, Grandma knows you. She knows that you won’t accept a free ride. I think you told someone that you wanted to deserve your slot because you knew that in taking you, the FBI would be turning down someone else and you felt that you owed it to that person to be worthy…or something?”

I considered that. Had I said that? It certainly sounded like something I would say. And I kind of agreed with it. I’d be pissed if I lost out to someone simply because they had something I couldn’t compete with. I’d feel that it wasn’t fair. However if I lost to someone who had me beat on what I could compete with then, while I’d be pissed, I really would only have myself to blame, that I didn’t prepare better.

“I guess,” I said. “Does she have a date for the next step?”

“Some time in the early new year, she said,” Mary answered. “They might have tried to sneak it in before then, but since we’re away…”

“Is Dianna coming up over the holiday” I asked.

“I think so,” she said. “I’m not sure when. Maggie apparently may call in also.

“Daddy says that your Aunt Janine and her husband and son will be visiting too, along with your parents.”

“Wow,” I said. “It’s a good job they had the building work done. So that was the surprise. Excellent, I’ve been meaning to try and get across to see them. I’m also looking forward to meeting my cousin. I wonder if they took his amulet off yet.”

“Do they know about me?” asked Melanie.

“Yes,” I said. “I’ve been emailing Janine since I went over there. She’s asked a few times when I was going to bring you over to meet her and her family.”

“Her husband’s a norm right?” asked Sarah.

“Yes,” I said. “He’s a decent guy, seems to have somewhat of a fetish for being controlled.”

Louise grinned. “A man after my own heart,” she said. “Give my love to your parents. I’m sorry not to be coming with. We have to at least try to sort things out with BOTH our families though. I’m thinking that this is going to be a make or break kind of time, for all of us.”

“Well if things get too hot,” said Jules, “call. Daddy will send the jet to collect you.”

Louise smiled at Jules. “Thanks,” she said.

I had some catching up to do. I had spent no time at all on schoolwork for the last four days so, when the time came, Ness went into the kitchen alone to make dinner. She did rope Josh in to help. He was still learning, but actually enjoying the experience. I think he enjoyed spending time being bossed by Ness too, but that was another story.

Louise was banned from the kitchen. She was as bad as I’d originally been. Worse, if that were possible.

Danny arrived just after six, about an hour before we were due to eat. We sat in the living room surrounded by most of our family.

“Arnie told me about what you did,” he said. “That was amazing. I’d never considered…I thought your powers were all about you, getting what you wanted, and…well…sex. It never occurred…”

“It’s why I’m joining the FBI,” I said. “Not only to stop Power Users who are breaking the law using powers, but having powers can help in other instances too.”

“So I see,” he said. “I know Arnie mentioned it, but like he said, your lessons with us…we obviously won’t charge you for them.”

“I’ll pay fuel,” I said. He nodded.

“Arnie mentioned that, and if you’re happy to do that, then yes, thank you,” he replied.

“It’s me that should be thanking you,” I said. “I’ve got my check ride Tuesday, and then it’s just about getting hours logged.”

He nodded.

“I met with the lawyers last week,” he said. “They made us an offer.”

“Okay,” I replied.

“They offered three hundred and twenty-five thousand to you for your emotional distress, since you suffered no injuries at all. They’re also reimbursing me for the headset I gave you. Arnie they’ve offered two hundred eighty thousand. Apparently, as an instructor and experienced pilot, he is expected to have suffered less emotionally and, again, he had no injuries, mostly thanks to you,” he added.

“They’ve also offered one point six million to the school, for loss of reputation and increased insurance costs.”

There were gasps through the room. Arnie simply sat there and grinned. He’d known about this but had promised his Dad to let him be the one to break the news.

“That’s a total of two million, two hundred and five thousand dollars all told,” he said.

“Wow,” I said. “Way to go.”

“Now,” he said. “The lawyers are going to take a percentage, as they do, but after their cut we still just make two million. The IRS are going to want their pound of flesh too. Even so I obviously have more than enough to buy the Baron, so…”

“You have something else in mind,” I said. “And no, I’m not reading your mind, I can tell.”

“If you’re still set on putting the money into the school, I was thinking of buying the Baron, but also buying an SR22. The rest of the money would go to increasing our hangar space and updating the office. We have so much work on the books just now, even without your accelerated learning, we’re having to turn people away.

“A third aircraft, especially since we don’t have to finance either of the two, is going to push the school into the big leagues.

“I’ll have to employ someone in the office full time and another instructor. I might employ a couple on a contract basis. Once you’ve passed your instructor, maybe you’ll even take a few lessons for us?”

“That sounds like a great plan,” I said.

“Obviously we’ll need to write up a partnership agreement,” he began.

“Why?” I asked.

“You’re investing in the…” he began.

“No,” I said. “I’m not. The flight school is yours and Arnie’s. The money is yours. I’m happy to instruct some lessons when I’m able, and I’ll do it for the hours.”

He looked at me for a second. I could hear all the arguments going through his head, and then saw the exact moment he decided to give in.

“Thank you,” was all he said.

I smiled at him.

“When is all this going to happen?” I asked.

“There are some forms for you to sign,” he said. “I think they are going to mail them to you. After that it will probably take a few weeks for the money to come through. Things should hopefully be in place in time for us to start the process in the new year.”

“2024 is going to be one hell of a year for all of us,” I said with a smile.

“Most,” said Sarah. “Melanie and I will still be in school.”

“It’s still going to be a great year for us all,” I reiterated with a grin. “I can feel it.”

Melanie looked at me with suspicion. “You have something planned,” she said. “What is it?”

“Me?” I said looking with wide eyed innocence at them. “Nothing at all. I’m just excited is all.”

Fortunately, Josh chose that moment to stick his head through the door.

“Dinner’s ready,” he said. “Come on through.”

We made our way through to the kitchen and got ourselves seated at the table. Ness had done a Sunday roast, with all the trimmings including the Yorkshire Puddings she knew I loved.

“Josh made the Yorkies,” Ness said. I looked at the plate of puddings, which to be fair looked pretty good, then at Josh. He was doing his best not to look pleased, like it was no big deal.

I snagged one as the plate went past me, drowning it in gravy and tasted.

“Good,” I said. “These are really good.”

Josh lost his composure breaking out into a pleased grin.

“It’s the same mix as pancakes,” he told me. “They’re really easy.”

I grinned back at him.

“So we know who’s making breakfast next week then,” I said.

Josh’s grin turned uncertain. “I’ll help,” he said. “But I’m not sure I’m ready to take that on all on my own.”

“Done deal,” I said to him, “We’ll do breakfast between us.”

Ness looked on, giving Josh a proud nod.

After dinner we helped clean up and then I finished off my schoolwork. Danny headed home but Arnie was staying.

As per my custom, I grabbed a beer and headed out into the yard. It was cold, but at least not raining.

A few minutes later Arnie came out, also holding a beer.

“You mind?” he said. I indicated the seat next to mine with my bottle.

He sat, sighing.

“You come out here almost every night,” he said.

“I…” I said thinking how best to phrase it. “Pops started me on it.” I decided. “From the first night we met, he’d take me out on their deck, just for some quiet time and drink a beer. It gave us some bonding time.”

“Sarah said that you ‘shared’ with them?” he asked.

“Not with Pops,” I said. “He’s not wired that way. Mary and Amanda played with Pops while Cheryl and I… It was a one-time deal, and quite out of the blue. In some ways I think that Jules almost engineered it. Something she said that night has always stuck with me.”

“What was that?” he asked.

“When the idea was first mentioned,” I explained, “I was like…but they’re your parents. Now by this time Dianna and I had already had some time together.”

“Dianna?” he asked. “You…”

“We’ve shared,” I said. “She’s an amazing woman.”

“Wow,” he said.

“Anyway, Jules said something to the effect of that if sharing with Mary and Amanda’s grandmother was okay, how was sharing with her parents not. She intimated that it might mean I loved her less than the twins.”

“Ouch,” he said. “Time out, points deducted for low blow.”

I laughed.

“I could say that I was forced into it, or at least coerced a little, but the fact was Cheryl is a gorgeous sexy, amazing woman, and I had no problems whatsoever spending time with her. But it was just the once, and, I don’t know, Cheryl and I flirt constantly, but I’m almost certain that we’ll never go there again.”

We sat in silence for a few moments.

“So you told me why Jules’ dad does it. Why do you?” he asked.

“It’s just time to decompress,” I said. “The house can get a little frantic sometimes. There’s so much going on that taking a little time to drink a beer, and order my thoughts before I go to bed, means I don’t lie awake doing it when I should be sleeping.”

“Oh,” he said. “Sorry – I’m disturbing you?”

“Not at all,” I said. “I honestly enjoy the company. Pops says it’s nice to have someone male to spend time with, but for me it’s not about that. I wouldn’t mind if everyone came out here. It’s become almost a ritual.”

“Josh doesn’t come out with you,” he enquired. “How come?”

“That,” I told him, “you’d have to ask Josh. He and Louise spend an equal amount of time with us, and then alone in their bedroom. I think maybe they decompress together, which I guess is healthy.

“I love both of them, dearly. They are as close as it could possibly get to being family – without being family - if that makes any sense at all. They’ve always been with us. In fact, I’ve known them both longer than anyone else here. Josh was the first guy I’d ever been with, and that was before I really met the girls.

“But having said that, they’ve always been Josh and Louise, distinct and separate from us. They’ll move on and eventually set up somewhere away from us, to live their own lives.”

“What about us?” he said. “Sarah and me,”

“That’s up to you,” I said looking him straight in the eye, “and Sarah. I’m probably going to be posted to the Portland office when I join the FBI. We have the house being rebuilt and it’s going to be big enough to house all of us, either sleeping together or not.”

He sat back in his chair, sipping his beer, thinking.

“What do YOU want Arnie?” I asked. “Forget just for the moment what anyone else wants, forget Sarah, your dad, all the rest of us. If this were a story you were writing, how would you want it to turn out?”

He huffed a laugh.

“It kind of feels like a story,” he said. “An erotic fantasy filled with sex, weird powers, money, and… love. More love than I ever thought existed in the world. I grew up mostly without a mom. I don’t remember her much but I always knew that Dad loved me. Oh yes, sometimes he was strict or yelled and once or twice he even paddled my ass.”

The thought of an adult Arnie, across his father’s knee, his bare buttocks pink as his father spanked him caused a reaction in me.

“Perv,” Arnie huffed, noticing my look. I smiled not arguing.

“I figured,” he went on, “that I’d find someone, although I had no idea who, guy or girl it didn’t matter to me, I just saw someone I liked and that was enough. I never really had a girlfriend or boyfriend, a couple of clumsy kisses in the schoolyard…you know how it is. And then Sarah came along and my life changed, because not only did SHE love me, she brought six other people with her, and they loved me too.

“It took some time to get used to, but now I can’t imagine living without it, living away from all you guys.

“If you want to know what I want, it’s this,” he said waving his arms around. “It’s being part of whatever this is, of bringing my kids into a household with so much love that they couldn’t possibly fail to feel it.”

“This,” I said to him gently, “is Family, and you are most definitely a part of it.”

I drained the last of my beer and then shuddered. It was getting colder.

“I’m headed for bed,” I said. “You going to come for a run in the morning? Melanie and Sarah will be going to the Dojo so it will be just you and me.”

“If I won’t slow you up too much,” he said.

“You will,” I said with a smile. “But only for a while. Once you get fitter you’ll be fine. I’ll be gentle with you…at first.”

“I hope so,” he said with a half smile at the double entendre.

I had my third shower of the day alone and, even though I’d not gotten out of bed until nearly midday, was asleep the moment my head touched.

Sarah nudged Arnie awake the next morning. He looked at her sleepily.

“Are you going to get up and go running in the freezing cold and pouring rain?” she asked. “Or are you going to stay warm and comfortable in bed with four sexy, mostly naked, women?”

“You’re not selling it,” he said a little grumpily. Then he sighed.

“We’ll make it worth your while…” she teased running her hand down his body.

“I should get up,” he said after a moment.

I helped him extricate himself from the bed. He shivered as he pulled on some training clothes and shoes.

We stretched out, warming up our muscles.

“It’s cold out there,” I said. “So we probably won’t go far. I’ll pace you so set a pace that’s comfortable. Don’t push too hard and if you need to stop and walk for a while, then do that.”

He nodded. “I ran cross country at school,” he said, “but it’s been a while.”

“Okay,” I said. “Then you know what to do.”

We set off, both of us instantly soaked by the lashing rain. Not for the first time I considered what it might be like living in somewhere drier, Nevada perhaps.

We ran for about fifteen minutes and I could tell Arnie was getting winded. He slowed to a walk and I walked with him. After a few more minutes he started to jog again.

We covered around about three miles alternately running and walking. I’d planned the route to have multiple cutoffs so I could adjust the length of the run depending on how he did, so it was no trouble for us to make our way back to the house.

“Strip off here,” I said in the utility room. We were both dripping and muddy. “Put your stuff straight into the washer.”

I matched actions to words and then, shivering, we made our way to the bathroom.

Arnie went to divert into their room.

“Getting shy all of a sudden?” I asked. He looked at me, and then grinned.

“You want someone to wash your back?” he asked.

“Sarah did say we’d make it worth your while,” I said. “She’s not going to be back for a little while yet.”

“Oh,” he said his eyes a little wide.

“That is,” I said, “if you want?”

“Okay,” he said. We went into the family bathroom, not wanting to disturb the rest of the girls by using the ensuite.

I started the shower and got it to temperature.

Arnie stepped in, heaving a sigh of pleasure.

“It makes a nice change,” he said. “Not to have the skin scalded off my back. Why do women always have their showers so hot?”

I laughed. “I have no idea,” I said. “It’s one of life’s great mysteries. Turn around.”

He hesitated for a moment.

“I’m only going to wash your back,” I told him.

He turned and I lathered up my hands, washing his hair, then his back. He jumped a little when I ran my hands over his ass, gently soaping him up, but then I moved onto his legs.

I put my hand on his shoulder and turned him to face me and started again.

His cock, when it was time to wash that, was solid and pulsating gently. I cleaned him efficiently and swiftly doing no more than was necessary to get him clean. Since that wasn’t what we were there for, my own cock stayed dormant, having become more discerning about when to wake up and when to stay asleep.

When he was clean, he rotated under the shower, removing all the soap. Then he looked at me.

“Your turn,” he said, holding his hand out for the soap.

Trying to mimic what I’d done for him, Arnie washed me. It was a little more difficult for him since I was a couple of inches taller, but he did a credible job, and by the time he’d finished I noted that his own cock had settled down somewhat, his concentration on something other than sex.

I rinsed the soap off under the shower.

“All clean?” I asked him. He nodded.

“Okay then,” I said taking him in hand, and making him jump.

“Now about Sarah’s promise.”

“Y-You don’t have to…” he stammered, blushing all of a sudden.

“I know,” I said, dropping to my knees. “But I want to…unless you tell me to stop…”

I ran my tongue up the length of his cock before taking the head between my lips and sucking on it gently.

Arnie leaned back against the shower wall and moaned softly.

I looked up at him, pressing my face further forward, until my lips were firmly latched around his root.

He’d laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. The corners of my mouth twitched up in a smile.

Arnie couldn’t hold out for long. I suckled on him like a hungry calf, and it took only a couple of minutes before he moaned out his orgasm, filling my mouth with his cum. I held him in place, making sure I drew out every drop, before pulling back slowly, licking him clean and finally letting him slip from between my lips.

“That was soooooo hot.”

Arnie’s eyes flew open to see Sarah and Melanie, both naked, standing watching.

“Ahhh,” he said. “I…”

Sarah moved to him.

“It’s okay,” she said gently kissing him. “I said we’d make it worth your while. I knew you’d be back well before we were and kind of expected Caleb to… um.. deliver on my promise.”

“You did?” he asked.

“Did you not like it?” she asked, a twinkle in her eye. “You seemed to like it.”

“It… was…” he looked at me. I’d moved aside to let Sarah get to her fiancé.

“If you say ‘nice’…” I said warningly. Melanie laughed.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I just…” then he looked at me, glancing down at my semi-hardness. “Did you need me to…”

“Another time,” I said. “I need to help with breakfast. Why don’t you help Sarah and Melanie clean up?”

I finished drying off, leaving Sarah and Melanie with Arnie. When I left the bathroom Josh was standing in the hallway.

“I’d go use the ensuite in Sarah and Arnie’s room,” I told him. “They’re going to be a little while.”

Josh grinned.

I was just pulling stuff out of the refrigerator ready to start breakfast when he joined me in the kitchen.

“Okay,” he said. “What do you need me to do?”

“You happy doing pancakes?” I asked. He nodded.

“How much stuff?” he asked. “We’re going to need more mix than I did for the puddings yesterday aren’t we?”

“I’d make probably about three times the mix to start. Then as you cook them off, we can see how many people eat. It’s different most mornings. I’ll do some bacon and also put some fruit together.

“If it looks like you’re going to run out, we can always mix up another batch.

“Right” he said, reaching for the eggs. “I can do that.”

Josh actually did pretty well. The first couple of pancakes turned out a bit rough, but once he got into the routine, he figured it out, and was turning them out looking good. The girls were all kind and complimented him on them.

Ness gave him a pointer.

“Even in sweet dishes,” she said. “A pinch of salt adds something.”

Josh nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll remember.”

“You want to ride to the airfield with me?” asked Arnie. I was scheduled to spend the day there. I’d got a rotary wing lesson first, followed by a couple of hours in the 150, in the middle of which was lunch. In the afternoon I had my prep check ride in the Baron with Danny.”

“I could pick you up on my back from school,” Amanda said.

“Why not,” I said. “We’ll be saving the planet after all.”

“Yeah,” said Josh. “You know after burning all that fuel flying all day, the ten gas miles you’re gonna save is going to make a huuuge difference.”

“We all have to do our part…,” I said piously putting on a beatific smile.

That earned me a wet dishtowel to the face from Ness who’d been wiping down the surfaces. One thing Josh had yet to learn was how to clear up as he went.

Arnie was quiet on the drive to the airfield.

“You okay?” I asked. He huffed a laugh.

“I’m good,” he said. “I just didn’t expect what happened this morning, not you, not Melanie, any of it.”

“Too much?” I asked wondering if we’d pushed him too far too fast.

“I’m actually wondering if at some point I’m going to wake up and realize that today so far was just a dream,” he said.

I punched him in the arm.

“OW!!!” he said. “What was that for?”

“Just letting you know you’re awake,” I said grinning.

“Asshole,” he said with a smirk, then sighed. “Your sisters are amazing.”

“I know it,” I said. “I’m so lucky to have found them. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I’d not run in to Melanie that day. I’d never have really have worked up the impetus to look for E and Sarah.”

“And Melanie…” he said.

“Don’t,” I said. “It doesn’t bear thinking about. Maybe she’d have discovered her powers, and saved herself, but I don’t know.”

He pulled the car onto the parking at the side of the hangar.

“I’ll see you later,” he said as I got out. I made my way around the hanger, heading for the helicopter school.

Flying rotary wing was much more fun than fixed wing I’d decided. They were far more skittish than a fixed wing aircraft and I was certain that, unlike a fixed wing. If a non-pilot were to be suddenly left in control of a helicopter, as I’d seen in many YouTube videos of it happening in fixed wing, the outcome would be far less likely to be favourable.

After an hour of fun in the ‘whirlybird’, I went and spent a couple of hours in the Cessna 150 just logging airtime, before returning to the airfield and catching up with Danny for my mock check ride.

“You switch really well between aircraft,” he noted as we were taxiing out onto the runway.

“This is the third aircraft type you’ve flown today, and it’s like you only ever fly the Baron.”

After the flight, we debriefed in the office.

“Just the couple of things I noticed,” he said. “As you move up in your certifications your DPE will be more stringent, especially for your Commercial and Instructor. The combat pilot habits you have you need to rein in, at least until you’re certified. After that you can fly in whatever way is more comfortable to you, as long as you’re safe.”

I nodded. “Thanks,” I said. “Do you know who the DPE is?”

“Nope,” he said. “There is a pool of about six that cover our area. It’s even possible that you’ll have the same DPE as you did for your PPL.”

The office door opened and Amanda entered. She smiled at us.

“You ready?” she asked. I looked at Danny.

“As ready as he’ll ever be,” he said with a grin. “See you tomorrow.”

Danny got to his feet to walk us out and Amanda surprised him with a hug, giving him a peck on the cheek.

I was at the office early the next day. I’d chosen not to fly anything else prior to my check ride, just to be sure. For some reason I was even more nervous than I’d been for my original ride.

My nerves rose when the door opened to admit the same older lady who’d been my DPE for my previous ride.

She arched an eyebrow at me as I stood up.

“Mr. Stott.” She said. “We meet again. And so soon?”

I smiled at her. “Nice to see you again,” I said. She pulled some papers out of her flight case and we went through the formalities. She once more asked me for my photo ID and just for fun – I gave her my FBI id rather than my driver’s license.

This time BOTH eyebrows went up.

“FBI?” she said.

“Only a consultant,” I said, “with the Portland office.”

She took a photo with her phone and then indicated the door.

“Shall we?” she said.

I led her out to the Baron.

As before, she watched me complete the walkaround and the preflight before we boarded the aircraft. She asked me various questions and told me what the check ride would entail, all of it information that I already knew. I also knew, however, that these were things that she was required to tell me.

We’d been up in the air for about ten minutes. I was doing my best to remember Danny’s advice about bad habits so my flying was perhaps not as fluid as it could be.

She looked across from the right seat.

“I’m on to you, Mr. Stott,” She said.

“I’m sorry?” I asked.

“Somehow, somewhere, you’ve been taught to fly before. This, to me, is just an exercise in certification. Now the fact that you’ve not just applied for a transfer of qualification to the FAA tells me that your prior learning is probably ‘off the books’, and the way you fly, when you’re not trying to hide it, is more military than civil.

“I also think that you showed me your FBI credentials for a reason – you think that I’ll be alerting the authorities as per the post 9/11 bulletin, given your proficiency against your official experience.”

I continued to fly, without comment.

She nodded as if I’d confirmed everything she said.

“Relax Mr. Stott.” She said. “Fly as you are comfortable. You’re a more than competent pilot…I can see that. However, the regulations say I have to go through certain procedures with you so here we go…”

After we landed and I’d shutdown the aircraft she looked at me.

“How far are you taking your certifications?” she asked.

“I want to get certified for a G500,” I said.

“So Commercial and Instructor,” she mused. “Well, I doubt we’ll meet again, at least not in this situation. It’s unlikely I’ll be assigned to you again. Obviously, you’ve passed your check ride, congratulations.”

“Thank you,” I said, still a little bemused by the way things had gone.

After she’d left, Danny patted me on the back.

“Nicely done,” he said. “You taking the 150 up now?”

I shook my head. “I’m done for today,” I said suddenly and inexplicably tired of flying for today.

He nodded. “Okay. When are you back?”

“I think I’m done now.” I said. “I’m going to take a break until after the vacation. I have school tomorrow morning, a couple of hypnotherapy appointments on Thursday, and I want to clear all my school work up before I leave, so I won’t have to do anything while we’re away.” I grinned.

“Then one more stint, and I’m done with school…for good.”

He laughed.

“You mean apart from the FBI Academy” he asked.

I laughed. “Yeah,” I said. “Apart from that.”

“You still coming up with us on Saturday?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never even been inside a Gulfstream. You think I can get a look at the cockpit?”

I laughed. “You and Arnie argue about who’s going to fly shotgun. I’m sure it will save a row if one of you takes the seat on the journey up, and the other on the journey back.”

“You think the pilot will be okay with that?” he asked.

“I’m fairly sure he will,” I said. “As long as you promise not to touch anything.”

He laughed. Holding up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

Wednesday morning we were back for a normal ethics class.

“Once more,” the professor opened, “we are going to be discussing a topic which could be emotive, and once again I’m going to remind you of our rules. We have already lost one of our number due to his inability to follow those rules and I’d hate for any of you to fail my class at such a late stage.”

There was murmuring in the room.

“We are returning to the topic of something that will always be contentious. Sexuality, but we’re not going to discuss sexuality in and of itself, but the fact that some people seem to think that it is their right to know such personal information, and other people seem to hold some kind of crusade to ensure that anyone in the public eye, who may be part of the LBGTQ+ community, but has chosen to maintain their privacy on the matter, is ‘outed’ often in the most spectacular and cruel way.

“So the question up for discussion is – do we have the right to know?”

“No,” I said simply and definitely.

The professor looked at me. I knew without reading his mind what his next word would be.

“Explain.”

“Aside from the individuals fourth amendment rights, there is only one possible reason that I may be interested in knowing someone else’s sexuality, and that is if I am interested in them sexually. Other than that, there is no reason for me to know.”

“What about public figures?” asked someone. “Doesn’t them placing themselves in public eye mean they give up their rights to privacy?”

“What about politicians who are voting in discriminatory legislation, yet are themselves gay?” asked another.

The professor looked around the room.

“It depends on what you mean by public figures,” said a girl, obviously answering the first query. “If we’re talking about the politicians as you say, then perhaps there is some rationale for revealing their orientation, especially if it exposes their hypocrisy. But if we’re talking about sports stars, or musicians, movie stars, then I don’t think it makes a hoot of difference what their sexuality is.”

“But aren’t they supposed to be role models?” asked another guy from the back of the class.

“So, you’re saying that being part of the LBGTQ+ is a poor role model?” asked the professor with a raised eyebrow.

Wisely the student that had made that statement chose to back away from that.

“N-no, not poor role models, but don’t kids need to see a…” he struggled for a way to express himself without sounding even more phobic.

After a moment, the professor rescued him.

“Aaah kids,” he said. “They always seem to get dragged into any debate about sexuality. But we’ll not linger on that. Can anyone think of any advantages to other people knowing your sexuality, other than, as Mr. Stott says, if they are ‘interested’ in you.”

“It might help with employment,” said another student.

The professor cocked his head to one side.

“Now THAT you ARE going to have to justify.”

“Recently the pendulum has swung, and many companies are trying to show that they are into Diversity and Equal opportunities. So now they have a quota, a target to meet. They must employ so many women in senior positions, so many people form diverse ethnic backgrounds, so many people with disabilities, and most recently so many gay or trans people. So if two people are going for the same job, who are equally qualified and experienced, one is a straight person and the other someone who is part of the above mentioned, guess who gets it.”

“Is that really going on do you think,” the professor said, “or is it just propaganda from those who are trying to work up feelings against those who choose an alternate lifestyle?”

That got people thinking.

“It’s a personal thing,” I said. “Coming out to your friends and family is one thing. But to be forcibly outed by someone, as some bloggers or journalists do, is just plain wrong.”

“What about the first amendment?” asked the professor. “Don’t such people have the right to say what they want?”

“They do,” I said. “But just because they have the right to say it, doesn’t mean it’s right to do so. We’ve already discussed the difference between legal and illegal and right and wrong. If I want to stand up in front of the world and declare my sexuality, then that is my affair no matter who I am. If I don’t, then it’s not for anyone else to do so on my behalf.”

“Do you not think,” said Dana, “that coming out might take a lot of pressure off people? Perhaps someone might be scared about what would happen if their sexuality were to be revealed, and by actually telling everyone, they remove that fear.”

“But then if there weren’t people actively trying to ‘out’ people,” I rebutted. “Wouldn’t that reduce the risk of their sexuality being revealed too?”

She smiled at me.

“Sometimes,” she said, “people might accidentally ‘out’ themselves, but at a time when they’re not prepared. Would it not be better to do it when they were ready?”

“But that’s not the question in discussion,” I said. “We’re talking about people’s right to know, not the individual’s right to tell people. We all have that right. I could choose to stand up right now in front of the whole class and come out, if I wanted, and that would be fine. But if you were to point a finger at me and announce my sexuality, without my consent, that would be wrong.”

“It was the hardest thing I ever did,” said a boy from the back of the class, “coming out to my parents.” From the looks on faces around the room, I thought he’d just come out again, perhaps without realizing what he’d done. I’d shared a class with him the last two years and hadn’t even thought about his sexuality. Others seemed to be equally shocked.

“If someone else had done it for me,” he went on, “without my permission, I think I’d have died.”

He looked up, having been staring at his desk. His eyes widened, realizing what he’d just done. All eyes were on him.

“Fuck it,” I thought.

“My parents were really supportive,” I said, “when I came out. But I’d have been really angry for someone else to have taken that decision for me.”

“You’re gay?” asked a guy “But you’re engaged to ….”

“MR. FORREST” interrupted the professor.

“It’s ok,” I said, and turned to Forrest. “I’m not Gay – I’m Pan, and yes, I happen to be engaged to a beautiful young lady, but it could just as easily have been a beautiful young man.”

I specifically didn’t glance in Dana’s direction when I said this, but I did notice in my peripheral vision that her cheeks pinked slightly.

“We’re getting off topic,” said the professor.

It was interesting to see that most of the class were still staring in my direction. I didn’t care. I had zero interest in their opinion of me. I doubted any of them would cause trouble for me, and if they did, their assholes would regret it. I grinned to myself when I heard myself think that. That could be taken more than one way. I grinned even more when I thought that. I was really stacking up the double entendres.

I originally meant their arseholes would regret it because they’d be itching for a while.

The classroom was quiet as people digested what had just happened. The professor chose that moment to throw a contentious comment out.

“What about having to reveal your sexuality as part of a job application?” he asked.

“It’s none of their business,” said Dana. “You can choose not to answer if you don’t want. I think it’s part of the equal opportunity legislation just for monitoring purposes.”

“Does that not encourage discrimination though,” asked someone else.

“How?” asked the professor.

“Well it’s like the science experiment where merely observing the experiment changes the result,” he replied.

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Companies know they’re being monitored” he said. “So they get it into their heads that they have to meet some kind of quota. Therefore they hire someone from each ‘minority’ demographic purely to make their figures look good rather than the person hired being the best person. I’m not just talking about gay people but disabled and ethnic minorities as well.”

“That might be the case,” the professor said, “if the information was revealed to the hiring team. But typically it is kept separate and only the HR department gets to see it. Now in the case of visible disability or ethnicity, it may become obvious at interview, but in the case of sexuality, for most cases, it’s not visible unless the person themselves chooses it to be.”

“Isn’t it mandatory information for certain jobs, like for security purposes or working with kids?” asked the guy who was seated next to the boy who’d outed himself. I noted that he’d actually moved his chair further away from the boy.

“Why should it be?” said the professor.

The guy who’d asked the question sensed a trap and backed away.

“I didn’t say it should be,” he said hastily, “I just thought that it was.”

“Let’s put that line to bed right now,” said the professor. “There are those who strongly believe that anyone whose sexuality differs from what is largely considered as the norm are in some ways perverted.

“That immediately equates in their tiny, bigoted, and uneducated minds that such people are a danger to others, and particularly children. There is NO evidence of this. None. Therefore, there is no logical reason why any restrictions of any kind should be placed on employment based on sexuality.”

“Don’t gay men make better carers,” asked a woman. “I heard they were more empathetic. My friend’s sister had a gay midwife deliver her baby and she said he was amazing.”

“You’re leaning into stereotypes” said the professor with a smile. “People are people, no matter their sexuality, some gay men may be amazingly empathetic, but I’m prepared to bet that there are an equal number who are not. You have to ask yourself, is it being gay that made that midwife empathetic or is that just his personality? Another question may be was he actually gay, or just ‘camping it up’ to make a woman be less uncomfortable with a male having to carry out the duties of a midwife?

“Again if I were writing this up, I’d be cautious about straying into the territory of how to control the outing of people by the media, or others, that is a whole other topic. That’s it for today, enjoy your vacation and I look forward to seeing you all and also reading your Senior Thesis in the new year.”

He made some more announcements as we packed away our things. Most people didn’t take out more than a pad and pen, just to jot notes during the discussion.

I headed out with Dana. She linked arms with me as she was wont to do, and we walked to the cafeteria.

“That was interesting,” she said. “I didn’t know Paul was gay.”

“Still don’t,” I said. “He said he came out, he didn’t say what as. He could be gay, bi, pan, trans, ace, or anything else. Hell, he could have been raised by a gay couple and have had to come out to them as being straight.”

Dana laughed. “You’re an ass,” she said. “But what you did was a nice thing. You took the attention off him. I don’t think he’d intended to come out like that.”

“Me neither,” I said, “whereas I don’t care what people think of me. I’ve already been labelled a manwhore and a murderer, what else can they do to me?”

Dana chewed her lip. “That’s a lie,” she said. “You do care, but you care more for others than you do for yourself.”

We arrived at the cafeteria and I spotted Jules just sitting down, a tray in front of her. Someone stopped to talk to her, and I saw her raise her eyebrows and say something to the boy, who stomped off. Dana and I got in line, got some food, and then joined her.

“What did you do now?” she asked looking at me.

“Me?” I said with wide eyed innocence “I didn’t do anything.”

“Hmmm.” she said, then she turned to Dana.

“What did he do?” she asked.

I heard someone laughing, actually it was two people. I looked over to the entrance where Mary and Amanda were standing, a boy standing red faced in front of them. The girls were both roaring with laughter. The boy walked away embarrassed.

The twins were still chuckling even after they’d got their food and came to sit down.

“Caleb was about to tell us what he did,” said Jules.

They both turned their eyes to me.

“What was so funny?” I asked.

“You first,” said Mary. “I’m guessing it’s related.”

To save time I sent them the memory of the lesson. Amanda smiled.

“Awww,” she said. “He said I’m beautiful”.

Mary shook her head. “Standing in front of the stampeding herd,” she said. “I might have guessed. That CHILD,” she raised her voice and I saw a couple of people turn to look in our direction including the guy who’d been speaking to them, he went redder still, “told us, since he can’t tell us apart, that we should dump your faggot ass and go out with a REAL man.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but then a voice to my left interrupted me.

“Caleb,”

I looked up to see Paul standing there. He had a tray of food.

“Hey Paul. You want to sit?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “I won’t disturb you guys. I just wanted to say ‘thanks’. When I realized what I’d done I just wanted the floor to open up and… But then you spoke and everyone that had been staring at me, was staring at you.

“I know I’m going to get stick for this but, in a way, I’m relieved it’s out there. But in that moment, you took away the attention, and gave me time to calm down and get myself together. I’m sorry I put you in that position. I kind of forced you to come out too.”

“You didn’t force anything,” I said. “I made a decision, and it was mine to make. Ignore what anyone says. The timing was pretty good actually, you’ve only got to make the end of the week and then we’re a month away. People will settle down.”

“Maybe. Anyway, thanks again,” he said. Nodding to the girls he headed off and found himself a table to sit at. The people already there didn’t get up and move, so there was that, although there was always the chance that they’d not heard the news yet.

“So what did that other guy say to you?” I asked Jules.

“Pretty much what that idiot said to Amanda,” he said. “He was a friend of Jasper. He said something to the effect that I’ll bet I was feeling pretty silly for dumping Jasper for a queerboy, and if I was interested in getting with a real man to give him a call.”

“And what did you say?” I asked.

“I asked him if he knew any real men,” she said with a grin.

That raised a chuckle all around.

“You were skating pretty close to the line yourself,” I said to Dana. She grinned.

“I was baiting you,” she said. “There was no way I was going to say anything in there, but I knew obviously that you knew what I was talking about. I was just having a bit of fun.”

Thursday and Friday passed without incident. I spent most of the day Thursday at the range finishing off my current clients. I’d timed the sessions to that I’d be finished with them in time for the break. I’d start the new year with all new clients. Melanie and Sarah were going to start their practice too. I had a feeling of great satisfaction when Mary said that, because of the numbers of people that had pre-registered for them, and the low availability of sessions due to their schedule, she was going to increase the fees by twenty percent. I wondered how many people would drop out when they found that gem out.

Friday I spent getting the house ready to be empty for the month. We’d run the freezer down, eating most of the stuff in it, and so I emptied it and cleaned it out, leaving it turned off and open both to save power and keep it fresh. I did the same with the fridge. There was a small amount of food left which I expected Josh and Louise to use. They’d mostly live on take outs despite Josh’s recent cooking learning.

I was taking down the gazebo over the barbecue when Jane came out into the yard.

“Hi” she said brightly. I’d not seen either of them since the night Chris had told me about his job. I’d been in the yard most evenings but they, neither of them, had come out to talk to me. Kirsty, true to form, held out her arms to me, only this time she spoke.

“Unca,” she yipped, a big smile on her face.

Jane looked at her and smiled sadly. “Yes,” she said. “That’s Uncle Caleb.”

I took a break and walked over to where they were standing by the fence. Kirsty wriggled and squirmed, reaching for me.

“You mind?” she asked. I took the child, and she immediately threw her arms around my neck planting a kiss on my cheek. She held onto me for a few seconds, which probably seemed like an age to a two year old, and then she squirmed wanting to get down and play. The ground was muddy.

I held onto her for a moment. And she settled down, looking at Jane and then at me.

“You’re leaving?” she asked. indicating the gazebo.

“Just going to the in-laws for Christmas.” I said. “We’ll be back early January, for a few months at least.”

“Then what?” she asked.

“We’ll be moving back to our home,” I said. “We only came here because our house burned down. It should be finished being rebuilt probably before mid-year.”

“Oh,” she said.

“Caleb, I’m sorry,” she said. “Chris and I have been talking, and you were right to be angry with us, with me. We should have spoken with you before taking any kind of action. We could have stolen something incredibly precious from you, and you might never even have known.”

“I…” I began but didn’t really know what I wanted to say. There were so many things, but I’d said the most important to them when I’d found out.

“If you don’t really know who Kirsty’s dad is,” I asked, “what happens if there’s medical issues? Pretty much every doctor will ask you about family medical history.”

“She’s Chris’” she said. “I did a test. Chris doesn’t know. He was against testing, but for exactly the reason you just said I wanted to know. If it becomes important then I guess he’ll forgive me.”

“You’re kind of used to keeping secrets,” I said.

She looked like I’d slapped her.

“I guess I deserved that,” she said.

“No,” I said contritely, “You didn’t. Look. I got mad when I realized what you’d done. This last year, a lot of people have tried to make decisions on my behalf and I still get a little grouchy when it happens.

“We’re flying out tomorrow, and we’ll be back after the new year. Maybe new year could be a new start between us too? Now you know about me, you can make informed decisions about what it is that you want.”

“And you’d still…” she asked a little hope in her expression.

“If that’s what you and Chris want,” I said, “then we can discuss it.”

“You think that one of the other boys…?” she asked.

“Doubtful,” I said. “They’re both with people. I’m not saying that they wouldn’t want to play but that wasn’t what you’re asking is it? I think they’ll both want their firstborn to be with their partner.”

Jane nodded. “I get that.” She said. “It was just a thought.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked. “If you’re thinking about another child?”

“We’ll see if Chris can do the job,” she said. “Maybe I’ll give it a year. It took just over that to get Kirsty although I did have other lovers in that time. I was surprised when the test came back and showed she was his. If after that it’s a no go, I’ll have to look around.”

Immediately my own father sprung to mind. I was certain he’d be happy enough to father another child with Jane, but that child would almost certainly have powers, which would open up a massive can of worms that really needed to stay sealed.

“I need to get on,” I said, handing Kirsty back to her mother. “I need to get this down and in the garage, and then do some other stuff, to get ready for leaving.”

“We’ll keep an eye on the place for you,” she said. “I’ve got your number if anything happens.”

“Thanks,” I said.

She took Kirsty inside and I went back to my chores.

We went out for dinner Friday night and invited Danny to stay overnight. Amanda’s and Ness’ cars went in the garage. We’d take my truck and Arnie’s car to the airfield. We could park the cars in the hangar with the planes, if we did a little shuffling. That way all the cars would be locked up and secure.

Saturday morning we did some simple Kata work. Arnie had expressed an interest in learning martial arts. He said it might be useful when he became an airline pilot for dealing with unruly passengers, but I thought it was more likely that he didn’t want Sarah to be the one protecting him if anything happened. He didn’t seem to realize that Sarah could take down pretty much anyone they were likely to have trouble with, without even raising an eyebrow.

Breakfast we ate at a diner on the way to the airport. Everything in the house had been cleaned and stored before we set off for the airfield.

Danny and Arnie were both like excited kids as we approached the G500. We’d stored the vehicles in the hanger and were carrying and wheeling the luggage toward the jet. The girls and I didn’t have much, since we had lots of stuff at the ranch. Arnie and Danny both had large suitcases. They were staying for a month after all.

Gerry came down the steps and greeted us all.

“You don’t mind having one of those miscreants in the second seat do you?” I asked Gerry while Arnie and Danny were stowing their luggage. “They’re both flight instructors. Maybe one on the way up and one on the way back?”

He laughed. “Sure,” he said. “But no fighting. If they start bickering over it they’ll both have to sit in back.”

I chuckled at that.

“One or two?” I asked.

“What?” he replied.

“One or two. I gave each a number and whichever you choose decides who sits up front first.”

“Two,” he said. I grinned.

“That’s Danny,” I said.

Gerry nodded.

“We ready?” he asked as the boys returned from the luggage compartment at the rear of the plane.

“Yes,” they both said. The girls were already seated.

“Danny, you’re up front. Arnie, you’re with us. You’ll switch on the way back. Now daddy says that if there’s any trouble you’ll both have to sit back here, so behave, okay?”

“Daddy?” asked Gerry. “I’ve not been called that for a while.” I realized then that I knew very little about Gerry, other than his flying history. Of his life I had no clue. I presumed from his comment he had kids, or perhaps an ex with daddy issues, who knew?

Arnie looked a little disappointed, but soon perked up as he took his seat by Sarah, who was looking around the jet with interest. Gerry closed the door and then went into the cockpit. I heard him talking Danny through the startup procedure as he carried it out, and soon, we were in the air.

“How fast are we going?” asked Arnie looking out of the window.

“Around .8 mach I told him, at probably around 35000 feet. It maxes out at 51000, but for this short hop we’ll most likely stay a little lower.”

Arnie peppered me with questions, and I could hear Danny doing the same to Gerry in the cockpit. I was certain he wouldn’t mind, nor did I. Ness and Jules played air hostesses and made us all coffee, including Gerry and Danny, and nobody got flipped off.

Arnie seemed disappointed when Gerry announced that we needed to take our seats for landing. The flight, I figured, had been way too short for him.

Danny kept thanking Gerry all the time they were unloading the luggage into the minivan that seemed to have joined the Steadman vehicle fleet. It was the same one as last time, I’d thought it a rental, but I guessed now that Dean had just bought it. Once the jet was buttoned up and everyone was in the van we set off for the Ranch. Danny’s, Arnie’s, and Sarah’s heads on swivels as they looked around. When we went under the property marker, I watched them all waiting for the house to come into view. After another five minutes, when it still hadn’t, Danny turned to me.

“How big is this place?” he asked in an awed voice. I shrugged.

“Pops has a few cows and a bit of land,” I said.

Jules dug me in the ribs and Ness snorted.

Eventually we reached the house, and we all piled out of the truck. Predictably, the first to come out and meet us were the dogs. Three of them came out barking like the Hounds of Hell, while Terra waddled behind unable to keep up. I watched Melanie as they all approached, but she seemed to be unworried. In fact, she’d gone to one knee as Blue reached her to pet him and give him a hug. The other two milled around the new arrivals, and Terra, arriving eventually, waddled up to me.

“Hello, Beautiful,” I said to her, copying Melanie and going to one knee. I scratched her behind her ears and she huffed in my face, as was her wont.

I noticed movement at the front door of the house as people started to emerge. Pops and Cheryl came out first, followed by Janine and Robin, and a boy whom I assumed was their son. I grinned. But my grin froze when another woman stepped out, somewhat hesitantly behind them.

I’d never met her before, but I recognized her instantly. The resemblance just too obvious not to see.

“Melanie,” I said. Melanie was still playing with Blue and hadn’t noticed the people. She looked at me, and then turned her gaze to where I was looking. She froze.

Then she spoke.

“Mom?”